SWNOVELS Chance: Chapter 43
Chance wasin the front seat of Kane’s Yukon, listening to the man talk about taking Daphne car shopping last night while Seth was in the back, mercifully without obligation to respond to Kane’s list of complaints about the experience.
Daphne didn’t care what color the car was, didn’t care about horsepower, didn’t give two shits about make or model so long as it was safe and reliable. She’d like air-conditioning and power windows, but she’d do without the latter if need be.
She didn’t know what an anti-lock brake was, didn’t understand that power steering hadn’t always been an option, had no idea when a tire was worn and needed changing, and thought torque was something the Romans had worn.
Chance smirked at that one. He sincerely doubted Daphne thought the Romans had worn torques rather than togas. She was fucking with Kane because he annoyed her. Only Kane couldn’t see it.
It was noon and they were on their way back to Sutton’s Creek because they’d finished what they needed to do at Griffin Research Labs. The security team had their new protocols, the training was complete, and they’d passed the test when Ethan showed up earlier and tried to talk his way in, similar to how Seth had done it last week.
This time security didn’t fall for it. The One Shot guys would go back regularly to conduct more training sessions and go over security protocols, but they wouldn’t be there every day like this week.
When Chance’s phone rang, he was surprised to see it was Theo calling. His gut took a dive into the floor as he considered that maybe Rory had gotten sick or something had happened with the baby.
“What’s up, Theo?”
Kane went instantly quiet.
“Rory said she was coming in early. She should have been here by now but she’s not and she hasn’t called. I checked the location of her phone. Last known location was near Cedar Creek but that was half an hour ago. I called the police, but they’ve got their hands full right now. All officers are out on calls because of the weather. Fuck,” he finished. “This isn’t like her, Chance. She knows better than to worry me.”
Chance’s body had gone cold, his blood icing in his veins. “I’m on the way, Theo. Text me a screenshot of her location and I’ll head there first.”
“Done. Call me as soon as you know something. Hell, just call me with updates even if you don’t. I’ll keep trying to call her.”
The call ended and Chance looked over at Kane, feeling helpless. And scared out of his head.
“Tell me where I’m going,” Kane said.
“Calling Ghost, Ethan, and Blaze,” Seth said from the backseat.
Chance’s phone pinged with a text. He opened the image and told Kane where to drive. Kane floored it as much as he was able with the slick roads. Thankfully they all knew how to drive in any condition. It was part of the training. But there was only so much you could do with the weather being what it was and the SUV not being a true all-terrain vehicle.
It took another twenty minutes, but they made it to the bridge from the Sutton’s Creek side. The water was almost to the roadway, but the bridge still had a little bit of clearance beneath it. They were so busy concentrating on what the bridge looked like that it took a second to spot his truck. It was in the trees, the passenger side bent around a tree trunk. The ditch wasn’t as deep there as it was just a few feet away, but the water was already around the wheel wells.
Kane slid to a stop and Chance was out of the Yukon, sprinting for his truck. He didn’t care about the truck, only about Rory. What if she’d hit her head? What if she was unconscious, slumped over the center console.
It didn’t compute that she couldn’t be because the seatbelt and the slope of the bucket seats would keep her firmly in the driver’s seat. All he knew was that Rory wasn’t answering calls and hadn’t shown up to work.
The water was up to his knees as he slogged toward the door. He yanked it open, ready to pull his woman to safety.
But she wasn’t there. The cabin was empty. Rory was gone. Her purse was gone. Her phone, too.
He turned toward his guys, desperation nipping at his heels. Kane was behind him, standing on the side of the road, ready to assist. Seth was still in Kane’s vehicle, his phone to his ear as he yelled something at someone on the other end.
Chance waded back to the road. “Talk to me,” he said coldly when he reached the Yukon.
Seth looked troubled. “Ronnie Junior. He has a record of violent assaults, primarily against women, but also against anyone who has a run-in with him. He’s assaulted law enforcement officers in the past, had weapons charges brought against him, one B&E, and he’s been arrested for cruelty to animals. Nothing sticks because his daddy either pays somebody or knows somebody. The charges miraculously get reduced or suspended, and Junior walks. Every time.”
Chance clenched his fists at his side. Rain poured down, soaking him to the bone. His jeans and boots were water-logged from wading in the ditch. His heart felt like a trapped animal ready to chew its own leg off to get free. His mind was blanking, but he knew there were things he had to do.
“Check your phone,” Kane said. “See if there’s been any activity at her place.”
Chance fumbled his phone from his pocket as they climbed back into the Yukon. He should have known to check it but his brain was in panic mode. He needed to shut that shit down and think. He knew how this worked, knew what to do. He’d trained for it half his life.
The only alert was an indication the system was offline. Something that could only be done from his phone or Rory’s. He hadn’t gotten the alert when it happened, probably because they’d been in a dead zone with the weather. Then Theo called and he hadn’t thought of anything except getting to the bridge and finding Rory.
He’d pictured her wrecked, passed out, maybe drowned. He hadn’t considered that anyone could have taken her. It was the move of someone arrogant enough to think he’d get away with it because he always did. Chance initiated a reset of the system as Kane floored it across the bridge. Hopefully they’d get camera access again soon and be able to see where Junior had her so they could plan their attack. Because there was no doubt he’d taken her back to the farm.
But why? What was his end game?
“Ghost, Blaze, and Ethan are on the way,” Seth said. He put a hand on Chance’s shoulder, squeezed. “We’ll get her back, Wraith. It’s what we do.”
None of them said the other thing they were thinking. The thing they had to consider with every mission they ever undertook.
That they might already be too late.